“Ben? He’s seventeen, I think. He’s one of the big boys. We have twelve here in the house, four seniors, two upper middlers, two lower middlers and three juniors; no, four now you’ve come. You see, the juniors sort of do what the seniors and upper middlers tell them to.”
“Oh! Well, suppose they didn’t?” asked Bert.
“Why—why—” But such a supposition seemed beyond Nan’s imagination. “They have to,” she said. There was the sound of a closing door somewhere. “Mr. Crane’s gone. Come on and I’ll take you to daddy.”
She led the way through the door by which she had entered, past a somewhat formal room furnished as a parlor, and down a hallway. This, as Bert guessed correctly, was the family’s part of the house. The office door was open and Bert followed Nan inside.
“Here’s the new boy, daddy,” she announced in businesslike tones. A middle-aged gentleman, grizzled of hair and comfortably stout, arose from his desk chair and turned to Bert with a kindly smile and outstretched hand.
“Glad to see you, Bryant. You had a pleasant journey, I hope. That was quite a trip for a boy of your age to make alone. Let me see, now, you’re fifteen, is it?”
“Fourteen, sir.”
“Ah, yes. And you’re going into the junior class. I remember. Well, Mrs. Merton is absent and so I’ll ask—hm, I forgot. I’ll show you your room myself. Later we’ll have a talk together. Come this way, Bryant.”
Bert rescued his bag, coat and cap in the hall and followed the Doctor up the stairs. In front of a partly opened door the Doctor paused and knocked.
“Come in!” called a voice gaily. When they entered Bert saw five boys lounging about the room. At sight of the Doctor, however, they sprang respectfully to their feet.